Thayalis
The Thayalis are a dark-skinned race originally from the island of Denegar, far to the south, outside of Asarra. They are sometimes also called Thayels by other peoples. The Thayalis are led by Skanos, son of Kanos. History The Thayels are a recent addition to the archipelago. It is a far distance to the isle of Denegar, however the warlike nature of the Thayels makes a raid on this rich, populous region worthwhile in both the acquisition of valuables and what the Thayalis call "Reauvis" but is most easily explained as murder. Reauvis is one of the keys to attaining adulthood in the Thayel culture, so the people range far to find new prey. Denegar has another nearby island called Shienfie that is now a wild and overgrown land. It had previously been inhabited by an indigenous population who were wiped out many centuries ago by the Reauvis. Settlements The Thayels originate from Denegar, far south and east of Asarra. Their expansion to the west and north has left a series of settlements and villages scattered across the Broken Isles as well as along the southern coast of Ardania. Category:Civilizations Population The Thayalis are Human, and unknown in number. Religion : ''Main article: Thayalic Pantheon '' The Thayels believe in a small pantheon of gods, unlike the Atutu or Akkabites who recognize a large number. They chiefly worship Iskandr, god of the undersea. Other gods worshiped by the Thayalis include: *Uthra, god of the wind *Yskanar, god of rain and thunder *Umkraat, god of blood *Alskavar, god of feasts and festivities Culture The Thayels have a purification rite called the Reauvis. When males reach 15, they are entered into a series of athletic competitions whereupon the winners become Tarenfie, meaning simply "warrior." The losers are castrated and assume the role of servants (Eunis). A similar game occurs for girls when they have their first blood, though this game is never openly acknowledged and the male Thayels know nothing about it. When the Tarenfie depart on raids, Thayali women are left to tend the household, raise children, and carry on the tribal blood-feuds left behind by their husbands. These feuds rarely turn to open violence. The matriarchs of Thayali society are known for their elaborate plots and schemes. Their tool of choice is prowler's ink, a poison extracted from the prowler squids who populate the southern coast of Ehujan, though they have no qualms with sticking daggers into people either. Fierce and cunning, it is said that their rite of purification (sometimes called the novis, meaning simply "game") is centered around trickery and deception. The winners are chosen as brides for the Tarenfie while the losers become servants and can never marry. This doesn't mean they can't bear children, though any offspring would be discarded into the sea, as is custom. Scarification among the Thayels The Tayalis has for long used scars to represent status in the their society, this tradition can be traced back to Uthra and Yskanar when Uthra marked him with his three becks. Pecking out his eyes and taking a chunk of his forehead. The servants of Thayalis always has one scar running down their face from the tip of the nose up to the scalp representing that they are forced to act after what someone higher up in the social pyramid tells them, just as Yskanar has to break the boulder that Iskandr told him to. If they try to flee another scar is added until they have three scars like Yskanar, if they flee again the fourth is across the troth giving birth to the poem. "He could never best me,marked was he. And when he tested me,only half he could see. Tried to flee across the sea,no more he could be. I left him smiling at the sea,when he tried to break free" Other uses of scars that represent status is of course battle scars to show that they are warriors however they also use scars to * show family belonging * how many times they fought in a battle and lived * mark of affection made by their partner that represents love. Every family has a set of scars representing them, some have lines across the hands while others have them across the whole face. One thing that is similar is that all family scars are made after the child's third moonrise always using a shell, the amount of lines has no meaning in the society, having five lines or fifty is no different on the social pyramid. The scar representing battles are more complicated as it is made by the Elders using sharp knives, it shows a Squid head without the arms as they are added after system that is decided by the Elders, the criteria for each arm are: * Risk of death as an easy battle is just slaughter * Every arm most have twice as many battles as the one before meaning that the first arm have two then it goes four, eight,sixteen,thirtytwo,sixty four,one hundred eight,two hundred sixteen and four hundred thirty two. * If they gain eight arms, they are immediately regarded as elders instead of reaching the age of seventy and are located at the top of the social pyramid, next to the king (so far the most anyone has ever had is five arms but the rule still stay). Marking of affection are often near the chest, close to the heart and are always made by the partner. These are secret and has a wide variety from flowers to complicated patterns and are often used as a symbol for marriage. * They use seawater to clean the family scars as a tribute to Iskandr * Salt rubbed into the body is used for the squid (the squid is for males as the females as no such scars as it is regard as foolish, an assassin risking their life should not be rewarded as that should be carried out fast and with expertise) * Odra or Honey wine is used for the mark of affection as a tribute to Alskavar Source (Thayalis) race by /u/Ritz651 Category:Civilizations